In order to transport a variety of large-sized cargo, it is conventional to load the goods on a pallet capable of supporting such consumer goods, with conventional pallets having a substantially planar support surface for receiving the item. Once the cargo is loaded onto the pallet, the pallet is transported via a loading vehicle (such as a forklift) to the desired means for long distance transportation, such as a truck, ship, train or plane. The conventional pallets that are used for shipping are typically wooden pallets, which are also known as skids. A problem with these skids is that the wood is subject to damage, and therefore the skids are not suitable for carrying cargo on more than a few trips. Additionally, the use of these skids also provides an environmental concern. More specifically, once these skids are no longer usable, they must be discarded and replaced. Since the skids have a short life span, users simply throw the skids away when they can no longer be used. Moreover, since the skids are commonly used for shipping, many landfills will not allow users to discard these wooden pallets to avoid overfilling the landfill.
In attempt to avoid the problems of these wooden pallets, other pallet designs, using a metal or other durable material, have been created for shipping. These pallets are designed to be reused, and the owner of the pallet often desires that the pallet be returned to the origination after use. A problem with these pallet designs is that these pallets are typically quite large and bulky in order to be capable of supporting cargo weighing several tons. As a result, it is difficult to return these pallets to their owners. Moreover, another problem typically arising with conventional pallet designs is that they cannot be secured to each other or stacked upon each other. This makes transportation of the stacks and their cargo difficult and less efficient.
While there are a plurality of patents that disclose various pallet designs (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,806), none of these designs providing an adequate solution to the various problems at hand for efficiently transporting cargo and allowing the a prompt return of the pallet to its owner.